---
# System prepended metadata

title: A visualization of what we mean in English by the various tenses

---

# A visualization of what we mean in English by the various tenses

```

[ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ]
[                               |                   |                     |                                     ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[                                              I had eaten                                                      ]
[ ----------------------------- |                   |                     |                                     ]
[                                           I will have eaten*                                                  ]
[                               |                   |               -------------                               ]
[                                            I will be eating                                                   ]
[                               |                   |   ------------------------------------------------------- ]
[                                         I will have been eating                                               ]
[                               |                   |                     | ----------------------------------- ]
[                                          I have been eating                                                   ]
[                               | --------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                                           I had been eating                                                   ]
[ ----------------------------- |                   |                     |                                     ]
[                                             I have eaten                                                      ]
[ ----------------------------------------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                                              I am eating**                                                    ]
[                               |                ---|---                  |                                     ]
[                                              I am eating***                                                   ]
[                               |                  -|-------------------- |                                     ]
[                                              I was eating                                                     ]
[ ----------------------------------------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                                               I will eat                                                      ]
[                               |                   |                  ---|---                                  ]
[                                                 I ate                                                         ]
[                            ---|---                |                     |                                     ]
[                                                 I eat                                                         ]
[ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]

[                               |                   |                     |                                     ]
[ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ]

  * - I will have eaten :: 2 events in the future A, B -> after finishing event A, I will eat, before event B

 ** - I am eating [ right now ]

*** - Tomorrow I am eating alone [ not RIGHT now but you can use -ing for the future too ]

```

---


```

[ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TIMELINE----------------- ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ]
[                               |                   |                     |                                     ]
[ ------------------------------|-------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------ ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[                                      Past Perfect | I had played                                              ]
[ ----------------------------- |                   |                     |                                     ]
[                                    Future Perfect | I will played                                             ]
[                               |                   |               -------------                               ]
[                                 Future Continuous | I will be playing                                         ]
[                               |                   |   ------------------------------------------------------- ]
[                         Future Perfect Continuous | I will have been playing                                  ]
[                               |                   |                     | ----------------------------------- ]
[                        Present Perfect Continuous | I have been playing                                       ]
[                               | --------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                           Past Perfect Continuous | I had been playing                                        ]
[ ----------------------------- |                   |                     |                                     ]
[                                   Present Perfect | I have played                                             ]
[ ----------------------------------------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                                Present Continuous | I am playing (Right now)                                  ]
[                               |                ---|---                  |                                     ]
[                                Present Continuous | I am playing (Planned action in the future)               ]
[                               |                  -|-------------------- |                                     ]
[                                   Past Continuous | I was playing                                             ]
[ ----------------------------------------------    |                     |                                     ]
[                                     Future Simple | I will play                                               ]
[                               |                   |                  ---|---                                  ]
[                                       Past Simple | I played                                                  ]
[                            ---|---                |                     |                                     ]
[                                    Present Simple | I play                                                    ]
[ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ]
[                                                                                                               ]
[ ------------------------------|-------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------ ]
[                               |                   |                     |                                     ]
[ Future in the past -- A point in the past------Right Now-----A point in the future -- Future in the future--- ]
[                                                                                                               ]

```